Man gets home confinement in assault case

A former Moab resident who assaulted a local woman during a June 14 incident was sentenced this week to six months of home confinement, after he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of third-degree felony aggravated assault.

Seventh District Judge Lyle R. Anderson also placed 25-year-old Beau Christian Denison of Farmington, New Mexico, under three years of court-supervised probation, and ordered him to pay $950 in restitution.

Dension, who was originally charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault, received credit for almost two months served in the Grand County Jail.

According to Grand County Attorney Andrew Fitzgerald, the incident occurred while Denison and the woman were at a party where people were smoking methamphetamine.

Fitzgerald told the court in June that Dension injured the woman to the point that emergency responders had to transport her elsewhere for medical care.

“The victim had some broken bones in her face and had to be taken to the hospital in Grand Junction (Colorado), so quite serious injuries,” he said at the time.

Fitzgerald said on Tuesday, Oct. 18, that he thinks the victim is “recovering OK” from her injuries, adding that the woman supports the plea deal. However, she wants to ensure that Denison remains out of state, he said.

Defense attorney Happy Morgan said that her client wants to “man up” and accept reponsibility for his actions.

“Beau isn’t like this,” she said.